


Lover's Lodge

by zelda_addict



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean is a Little Shit, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, John Is Actually Proud of His Kids, mini case-fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-28 22:05:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3871420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zelda_addict/pseuds/zelda_addict
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My last claim for spn-masquerade Round 2.</p><p>Original Prompt: "There is a hunt as a gay couple retreat (they're open relationship units or more than two). It's the only way to get in, and no one needs to know that John and this handsome young man are not a couple. You do what you need to get the job done. It's still awkward. </p><p>I'd really love a gentle reconnection as John actually sees Dean for the first time in forever. But a lot of embarrassment and laughs can be good too, or if you prefer the NC-17 version, that would probably be incredibly hot. So either way can be so good!"</p><p>I went the gen route with this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lover's Lodge

You went where the job was, no matter what. John knew that. A little awkwardness or embarrassment was nothing next to the life of an innocent. However, John was used to being able to face down humiliation alone--he’d never had to involve a partner for an embarrassing hunt before.

Bobby wasn’t speaking to him, and neither Caleb nor Pastor Jim were answering their phones, and people were _dying_. John only had one real option left.

After Sam had deserted them to run off to school, he and Dean had begun drifting apart, too. He hadn’t seen his eldest in person in over a year now, but Dean was a damn fine hunter, and John was _not_ going to let his pride cost lives.

He left a curt message on Dean’s cell phone. “Got a case I’ll need backup for. Call me back when you get this.”

Dean never took long to respond, but John was still surprised when his phone rang within the hour.

“What’s the case?” Dean asked right off the bat. No, “Hey, dad, how’ve you been?” or “Good to hear from you.” John was a little disappointed, but he was also grateful that Dean already had his mind on the job.

“I think it’s probably a vengeful spirit connected to a retreat site, but I’m having trouble getting in to investigate.”

“Right,” Dean acknowledged, “hence the backup. How is it I can help?”

This was going to be the tricky part. “The retreat... It’s for gay couples.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a long time. He almost thought Dean had hung up on him until he spoke again. “Okay. Where are you?”

There may yet come a day that his oldest son wasn’t the most dependable man he’d ever met, but today still wasn’t that day. John smiled and gave Dean the address of his motel.

***

“Now remember,” John cautioned as they pulled up to the office of the campground that housed the retreat, “we don’t need to oversell this. Just act casual.”

Dean snorted. “Dad, are you suggesting you think I’ll act too gay to be believable?”

“I...” John wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Relax,” Dean reassured him. “I’m not an idiot. Let’s do this!”

They walked up to the reception desk together, side by side, not unlike they’d done many times in the past at various motels.

“Welcome to Lover’s Lodge,” the man behind the desk droned in a bored tone. “Names, please.”

“Freddy,” Dean responded before John could take the lead, and John was going to _kill_ him if he said his last name was “Mercury.” “Freddy Jones.” Oh. John decided to go with the theme, even if he was stuck with a terrible alias.

“Norville Rogers,” he told the attendant. The man snickered to himself as he wrote their names in the ledger.

They were handed a pamphlet with a schedule of discussion groups, other activities, and meal times and a key to a cabin.

“ _Scooby-Doo?_ ” John asked as they hauled their bags from the car.

“What?” Dean asked innocently. “I wanted to go with something they probably wouldn’t recognize. Besides, we’re here to solve a mystery!”

***

They decided to stick together at dinner, in order to cement the impression that they were indeed a couple. They received a lot of odd, searching looks, and John began to wonder if his decision to play down the whole gay thing was backfiring. It wasn’t until Dean wandered off to the dessert buffet for some pie that another man leaned in and said something.

“How’d a fella like yourself land that sweet little number?” the man asked, eyes on Dean’s retreating backside and ignoring the perturbed expression of his own partner. 

John could admit that his son was an attractive man, but he was still his baby boy. He very much wanted to tell this creep to keep his distance from the “sweet little number” that happened to be his son, but that would ruin it. His expression must have made his displeasure known, however.

The same guy whistled and backed up again. “Possessive, eh? Lucky kid...” There were murmurs of agreement from others at the table. 

Dean returned with not one, but three pieces of pie. At least he offered one to his father and fake lover.

“Why’s everybody so quiet?” Dean asked around a mouthful of banana cream.

“So,” the partner of the jerk with the wandering eye asked Dean directly, “how did you two meet?”

“Work,” Dean replied. John approved. Lacing their story with just enough truth would sell it better than an elaborate lie.

“Have you been together long?” the rather nosy man pressed.

“Sure feels like I’ve known him my whole life,” Dean answered with a grin. “Why do you ask?”

The other man shrugged. “I guess you just don’t seem that physically affectionate. More like good friends.”

“What’s wrong with being friends with your partner?” John groused. He scooted a little closer to Dean, but he wasn’t going to sweep him into a dramatic kiss or anything.

Dean laughed and dropped a hand to John’s knee and _squeezed_. “Aw, he’s just old fashioned about PDAs. He takes real good care of me when we’re not in public, though.”

John felt his cheeks flush and his ears burn--Dean’s voice was practically dripping innuendo! 

“I know he’s old enough to be my father,” Dean continued, an amused twinkle in his eye, “but there’s a lot to be said for a lover with _experience_ , am I right?”

The others laughed, and the topic moved on to something else, much to John’s relief.

When they were back in their cabin, Dean grabbed his shoulder.

“Hey, are you okay? I didn’t mean to embarrass you back there, but somebody had to say something.”

“It’s fine,” John insisted. “I guess I’m surprised you’re able to play this role so easily when it’s so difficult for me.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “I guess I’ve just put up with a lot of assumptions in the past, and it doesn’t bother me anymore.”

John frowned. He hadn’t realized Dean had been asked about the nature of their relationship before--his son had never said anything about it. He decided not to press the issue.

***

The next morning after breakfast, they decided to split up until lunch, each investigating the disappearances from the retreat on their own to cover more ground. Dean opted to go on a nature hike while John decided to mingle in some seminars. The next ones on the schedule were something about “toys and tricks,” which just...no, and one about control and power balance in relationships. That second option sounded so much safer.

As the speaker went on and on about how one partner always making the important decisions unilaterally was often detrimental in the long run, John scanned the faces in the room for someone either on the staff or that looked like a talker. His mind also drifted to his son.

Dean was a very capable young man in his own right, but he came running at the drop of a hat when he called. He hadn’t taken too much control away from Dean, had he? He thought he’d always made the best choice for everyone, but after Sam left... Maybe it had been a good thing he’d been allowing Dean more independence.

He finally spotted a man in the yellow polo shirt all the staff wore, standing in the back of the room, and as the lecture ended, he made his way over.

“This is quite the setup you guys have going here,” he remarked casually. 

The other man shrugged. “I guess.”

“I mean, it seems to all run pretty smoothly, even though there have got to be some couples with issues now and again. Have there ever been any strange incidents?”

The man shook his head. “Not much other than a hissy fit or two. Except of course for, you know, the guys that went _missing_ , but I’m not supposed to talk about that.”

“Missing?” John asked, faking surprise. “Well, now that you’ve got me all curious, you can’t just leave me hanging!”

The man looked around to be sure they were alone. “If you ask me, it was probably a bear or something. People ought to know better than to sneak off into the woods at night when they have a perfectly good cabin with a bed, you know?”

John was beginning to suspect it wasn’t a vengeful spirit.

***

“I think it’s a black dog,” Dean confirmed before they left for lunch. “I found a paw print in a muddy spot on the trail.”

“Makes sense,” John agreed. “It’s been hanging around and picking off anyone who wanders too far away from camp.”

It was a relief to know what they were up against, and John knew Dean was a crack shot. They should have this wrapped up in no time.

“After we take it down,” John began, hoping his uncertainty wasn’t too obvious, “what do you plan to do next?” He had decided he wasn’t going to order Dean to do anything. Dean was an adult, and he could make his own choices.

“I saw an article about what looks like a hoodoo thing down near New Orleans. I haven’t been south in a while--thought I might check it out.” He looked questioningly at John, as though seeking approval. 

“Be careful,” was all he said, though he wanted to say so much more. For now, they still had a hunt, and he would enjoy Dean’s company while it lasted. And if he planned to surprise Dean with a smack on the butt in the cafeteria as revenge for dinner the other day? Well, that would just be a little bit of fun...

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone is confused, Norville Rogers is in fact the real name of Shaggy.


End file.
